1. Field of Invention
This invention relates generally to systems and methods for improving reading proficiency using computer analysis aids.
2. Description of Related Art
In conventional systems for reading evaluation, students' reading abilities are tested and the students are grouped according to determined reading fluency ability and instructor availability. Milestones or achievements standards are established for students based on age, grade or other criteria. Re-testing of students then occurs at regular intervals and the results compared to milestones for similarly classified groups of students. Remedial reading instruction, such as individual instruction, may then be provided for students who fail to achieve the milestones or achievement standards for similarly classified students. However, these types of instruction do not facilitate fluid reading of multiple sentences for meaning.
It is well known that a relationship exists between an individual's ability to process the speech sounds of a language and the normal acquisition or improvement of reading skills. Fluent readers recognize the relationship between the various sentences in a text. In reading aloud, they demonstrate their awareness by assigning the correct pitch level and stress to the words in each sentence. The information that is most salient in the sentence, because such information is “new” or “contrastive,” will receive distinctive types of stress. A sentence that elaborates on information in a previous sentence could, for example, be read at a lower pitch level.
The prior art systems and methods for improving a reader's fluency are limited to systems and methods that involve a human instructor or those systems employing rudimentary, computer-based instructional features, such as highlighting the text to be read. These computer-based systems have limited or no graphical and/or auditory instruction and/or user response capabilities.